Naby Keita will come in for Jordan Henderson while Sadio Mane is set to start again when Liverpool take on West Ham United on Monday.
Liverpool will aim to inch closer to lifting the Premier League title for the first time when they play hosts to West Ham United at Anfield on Monday. And, Jurgen Klopp has been handed a huge blow ahead of his side’s latest fixture.
Jordan Henderson has been ruled out for around three weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury in the UEFA Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid earlier this week. The Liverpool captain has joined Xherdan Shaqiri (calf) and Nathaniel Clyne (hamstring) on the sidelines.
However, during his pre-match press conference, Klopp insisted that he is not worried by the absence of Henderson due to the availability of every other midfielders in his squad. The Liverpool boss also added that this now gives the others a chance to prove themselves.
“We still have options there and that’s good. It’s a chance of course, a chance for all of them. But there would have been a chance anyway, Hendo wouldn’t have played all the games from now until the end of the season. It’s a position where we can react so we will react.”
The likes of James Milner, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Adam Lallana are options to come in for Henderson. Keita, though, is expected to get the nod, with Fabinho and Georginio Wijnaldum continuing in the three-man midfield.
As for the rest of the team, there are unlikely to be a lot of changes, with Klopp iterating that after getting nearly a week off after the Atletico Madrid game, he does not need to make many rotations when his side takes on West Ham.
“All the other boys are fit. But Tuesday-Monday [between games], there is absolutely no need to [make changes]. That’s enough time, longer than we usually have. We will see who will start, maybe we will make more changes – but not because of the Atletico game.”
With this in mind, it is likely that the first-choice attacking and defensive units will continue against West Ham. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Andrew Robertson will likely comprise the back four, with Alisson Becker taking his place in goal ahead of former West Ham goalkeeper Adrian.
Upfront, Sadio Mane is set to make his first start since completing his recovery from a hamstring injury. Mane came off the bench to score the winner against Norwich City last weekend before starting in the defeat to Atletico Madrid. Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino will complete Liverpool’s three-pronged attack.
Liverpool Predicted XI: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, van Dijk, Robertson; Keita, Fabinho, Wijnaldum; Salah, Firmino, Mane
